OLPC Taps Amazon for Low Cost Notebook

The One Laptop Per Child project is looking to mega-online retail giant Amazon to try and pump more sales for its kid-friendly, XO notebook computer. Specifically, Amazon will be the main reseller for OLPC’s “Give One, Get One” program it developed last year, according to [a report ](http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/090408-olpcs-dual-boot-linux-windows.html). Neither Amazon nor OLPC has anything about Amazon’s participation at their sites, and I couldn’t reach anyone at either company for comment.

(UPDATE: The One Laptop Per Child folks got back to me, and along with a statement posted by Amazon, offered some new information and corrected a few misconceptions here.)

The Give One, Get One program is designed to provide a way for generous consumers to help get the notebooks into the hands of kids in poor countries. Essentially, you buy two of the notebooks; one goes to you, the other is donated to a child in a developing country. The report said Amazon will start selling the colorful XO notebooks later this November.

Back in 2006, the founders of the project said the goal was to develop a notebook with easy to use, educational software installed that could [sell for $100 ](/dev-news/article.php/3596426/Negropontes+100+Notebook.htm)in mass quantities to developing nations.

When the XO came out last year though, OLPC wasn’t able to get the price quite that low. The OLPC Web site says a donation of $200 will deliver a new XO laptop [to a child in a developing nation](http://www.laptopgiving.org/en/give-a-laptop.php).

It’s not known what the price on Amazon will be. OLPC has been a somewhat controversial project. The organization charged Intel with trying to undercut its plans overseas, then made peace, agreeing to let the chip giant join the non-profit organization as a board member. But then later the two had a falling out and Intel went back to focusing on its own “Classmate PC” line of low cost computers. The XO runs on AMD processors.